A U.S. Army staff sergeant stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, has been sentenced to six years in prison and a dishonorable discharge after pleading guilty to multiple offenses involving illegal material depicting minors and obstructing justice.
Staff Sgt. Cason Benjamin Nakasawa was convicted of two counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, one count of distributing such material, and one count of obstructing justice, according to the Army’s publicly available court-martial records. The military’s official records refer to the offenses as child pornography charges under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Military judge Kenton E. Spiegler sentenced Nakasawa to 72 months of confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The Army said the sentence was consistent with the terms of a plea agreement.
Nakasawa initially pleaded not guilty during an August 3, 2026, arraignment at Fort Carson before later changing his plea. He elected to have his case heard by a military judge rather than a panel of service members.
The Army’s original court docket listed five charges involving illegal material depicting minors, but the published conviction summary accounts for only three. The available records do not explain what happened to the remaining two charges or whether they were withdrawn as part of his plea agreement.
The publicly available records also provide limited details about the investigation. They do not establish when the offenses occurred, the circumstances surrounding the distribution charge, or what actions led to Nakasawa’s obstruction of justice conviction.
Nakasawa’s military career dates back to at least March 2018, when an Army recruiter publicly congratulated him on his enlistment as an 11X infantry recruit.
Army personnel records later identified him as an indirect fire infantryman, a specialty designated as 11C. He appeared on the Army’s November 2021 promotion list for sergeant and was subsequently selected for promotion to staff sergeant in June 2023.
The June promotion list indicated that his selection was made under the Army’s temporary promotion policy, which allowed eligible soldiers to advance before completing certain required military education.
By the time of his court-martial, Nakasawa had attained the rank of staff sergeant.
The Salty Soldier has requested Nakasawa’s charge sheet and additional case documentation from the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) to obtain a clearer understanding of the investigation, the charges, and the circumstances surrounding his conviction.
Those records could also clarify why two charges listed on the original docket were not included in the final conviction summary.
The Army’s publicly available records contain a discrepancy regarding the date of the proceedings. The official court docket lists Nakasawa’s trial as October 23, 2026, while the published court-martial result identifies September 23, 2026, as the conviction date. The reason for the conflicting dates has not been established.
The Salty Soldier will update this report as additional information becomes available.
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